PRH’s Business Residency program provides entrepreneurs, creatives, emerging businesses, and innovative organizations with affordable space for up to three years.
HOUSTON — Project Row Houses, in one of Houston’s oldest African-American neighborhoods, has been a cornerstone in the Third Ward for more than two decades.
The site has grown to five city blocks of houses that serve as a home base for a variety of community-enriching initiatives and art programs.
Now, PRH is also investing in the Third Ward’s future by helping small businesses thrive.
Third Ward Bike Tours began as a new spin on an old idea.
“My first event was called Biking Brunch; brunch was a whole new thing for young people,” owner Alan Moore said.
Over time, he added music, team-building events, historic tours and more.
“I didn’t have any business experience prior to this, so I didn’t understand about having to find locations, what the cost of rent would be,” Moore said.
Enter the Project Row Houses Business Residency Program, where start-ups can apply for help.
“We filter through those applications and we kind of pick the most qualified business,” Brian Ellison with PRH explained.
They’re provided with a space at reduced rent for up to three years. The spaces are in the historic El Dorado Ballroom and two small locations across the street.
About half a dozen companies have been through the program so far.
A speciality comic book store was part of the freshman class. Gulf Coast Cosmos, the only Black-owned comic book store in Texas, celebrates the diversity of superheroes.
“This is a place for people to come and not only just purchase stories, but to be able to gain the skills to tell their own stories,” Treasure Jackson told KHOU 11. “We have art workshops. We have writing workshops, and it’s very intentional because we don’t want these stories to be the only ones that are available.”
Gulf Coast Cosmos moved out of the PRH space two months ago and opened its own storefront on Wheeler Avenue.
Now, the space they once occupied is open for the next business as PRH nurtures a new generation of storytellers and businesses. They plan to offer mentoring soon to help start-ups find their own superpower.
“We hope that each one can teach one and continue to see our business residency grow,” Ellison said.
The PRH Business Residency Program is currently reviewing applications for three spaces that will be available in September.
